Matchmakers & Mistakes
by TheWitchFromNextDoor
Summary: After Lily, Harry Potter's daughter, is dumped by Augustus, Rose, her best friend, thinks it's time for a little fun... After all, Lily does need a boyfriend, and if it happens to be her crush, well, what could POSSIBLY go wrong?
1. I Feel Sorry For The Astronomy Homework

"Albus," I sigh. "Stop." Albus was pacing, pulling his hair. "You know what, Lills? I can't stop! That creep deserves to rot in a hole!" My best friend, Rose, tried to calm Albus down.

"It's OK, Albus. We all hate him, and want to send a few well-aimed curses in his… general direction-"

"STRAIGHT IN HIS FACE!" Albus yells, interrupting her and managing to get a few second years looking at us fearfully. All in one swoop. New record!

"Rose." I growl between my teeth. "Not helping." Rose immediately is remorseful when Albus starts crinkling his astronomy homework for lack of a better thing to take out his anger on. If theres one thing that makes Rose sober up, it's misuse of homework. She yanks the parchment out of his hands, and uses her wand to de-wrinkle it. Albus keeps muttering death threats.

"Albus," I plead. "Just because Augustus broke up with me-"

"LEFT YOU TO DIE OF A BROKEN HEART!" Albus exclaims, causing the same second years to leave the room.

"Oh, no one likes you anyway." Albus shoots at them. Woah. Wait a minute. Left me to die of a broken heart? No way. I need to clear things up with my brother. I take him by the shoulders and face him. I look into his eyes, and firmly say:

"A. I didn't like him enough to be "broken heart" status." B. You are just working yourself up into a lather. C. You are scaring small children. Get a hold of yourself, and stop screaming." I let go of him. He sulks, but quickly straightens up when he sees Rose glare at him. Rose hates sulking, and also has the advantage of being able to break up with him. Albus heaves a deep breath and lets it go slowly.

"I understand that I am overreacting, but… Lills… you are my sister." I cock my head. He seems serious enough… I grin.

"And you are my brother. And if Rose ever breaks up with you-" (insert angry look from Rose-) "She'll have ME to deal with. I don't care that she's my best friend."

"OK. Now I have to chat with a bestie of mine." Rose swings herself onto the poster bed, opens her mouth, and shuts it. I can see her brain saying that it isn't worth it. Rose doesn't waste time. I check my watch, and realize that I have a free period. Rose does also. I don't need to ask, I have her schedule memorized since we have the exact same one. That's because we are the only ones who signed up for Muggle Studies, and they base schedules around electives. Professor _ is a nice teacher; she gives light homework and lets us chat when we finish classwork. Rose breaks into my thoughts.

"Lily…" She begins, a faint blush glowing on her cheeks. "What…?" I ask cautiously. Despite the fact the Rose was a total schoolaholic, she was a matchmaker. The last time she had paired me with someone… well… let's just say the relationship ended about five hours ago with yelling, screaming, and hair being ripped out. All of the above were done by Albus. "Well…" Rose continues. "I found a nice boy…"

"Well...!" I carefully start.

"If you'd just give him a chance-" Rose begs. I interrupt.

"Who is it. Just tell me." Rose has a smile working it's way up her mouth.

"It's someone who's actually very interested in you…"

"Just tell me already!"

"Oh, you are so going to die of shock."

"WHO?"

"Angus Longbottom."


	2. We Are Both SO Going To Regret This

My first thought was pure, white shock.

"Angus LONGBOTTOM?" I shrieked. Rose nodded, savoring my reaction. I was blushing profusely. I had liked him since I was twelve, but knew it wouldn't come to anything. Rose could read my thoughts, just like all stereotypical friends.

"Hey," She pointed her quill at me- wait, when did she get a quill? It must have been when I was freaking out over her crazy, misinformed information about Angus liking me. Anyway, she pointed her quill and stared me down. "It's not SO crazy. It happened with your mom and dad." She smoothed her robes. "Your mom had a HUGE crush on your dad, decided it wasn't going to happen, ended up dating and marrying him and having children with him." I shrugged. She had a point. But still, Angus was dating the most beautiful girl on campus. Amelie Chang, daughter of Cho Chang, was the carbon copy of her mom. She was a spoiled apple though, and there WERE rumors of them being on the rocks. But that was against the point! Rose, convinced of how good her idea was, started on her own homework. I swatted it out of her hands, where the parchment drifted to the floor.

"Rose, I really don't want to enter another relationship right now." I say. Rose waves away my concern.

"Nonsense!" She enthuses. "I am going to get you together and my number one priority is Anlil!"

"What?"

"You! Angus and Lily!" she squeals. I put my hand to her forehead as if she's sick. I think I'M going to be sick.

"Um… are you OK? I swear, you are turning into a total Amelie." I said, only half joking.

"Hey!" Rose pouted.

"Fine." I gave in. "I'm sorry. I will never compare you to that blood sucking worm ever again."

Rose nodded.

"You better not."

I am sitting on my bed, reviewing for a Charms test that was in two weeks. The only spell that really got me was one that was extremely basic, but I always had trouble with.

"Aguamenti!" I poked my wand at the cup, and it filled with water. Yes! I was basking in my victory when Rose pounded in, waving a piece of large parchment.

"Look!" She shrieks, but she's waving the paper around so much I can't even tell that it has words on it.

"Calm down!" She has knocked over my glass of water and the liquid was slowly soaking into my red bedspread. I waved my wand and a current of hot air blow-dried my bed clean. Rose quickly flattened the parchment onto the bed, re-reading it in a rapture.

SCHOOL DANCE FEBRUARY 14TH

THIS IS YOUR MOMENT LOVEBIRDS!

MAKE SURE YOU BRING WRACKSPURT SWATTERS

There was more, but I was too busy banging my head on my wooden dresser to read it. Rose was jumping on my bed, having previously rolled it up and lovingly placing it under my bed.

"Rose." I moaned. "How did you get that poster?" I don't really want to know. Rose answers with a sparkle in her eye and doesn't look at all guilty.

"Oh, I just stole it from the corridor. A few paintings yelled at me, but most of them just sighed and muttered something about "young love." So… will you let me try to get you to go with Angus?" I cursed the relative that passed on the matchmaker genes to Ron or Hermione. Certainly it wasn't their fault. THEY were level headed, unlike Rose.

"And-" I took the poster from under my bed and unfurled it. "Who came UP with this? _This is your moment lovebirds_? _MAKE SURE YOU BRING WRACKSPURT SWATTERS?!_" Rose tilted her head and gazed at the ceiling.

"I think that it was Stella Lovegood."

"Of course." I grumbled. Stella. Rose looked at me with puppy dog eyes. I frowned.

"No." I say firmly. Rose gives me a sad look, and looks at the ground. I huff.

"Fi…. FINE." I growl. Rose is instantly perks up like she is her namesake that received a nice sprinkling of water.

"I just want you to know… we are both SO going to regret this."

**Hello! I really love reviews SO much. I really would like you to review! I will randomly pick a reviewer to get a SPECIAL PRIZE, but ONLY if five or more people review.**

**I luv ya'll so much my heart is going to burst!**

**Oh! And congrats to the awesome Stromsten, who named the teacher Professor Grint. (Grint's a girl)**

**The only thing that makes me sad is that he won automatically because he was the only one to review. : (**

**I also know that this is a super boring chapter. I'm sorry! I'm working on a better one… maybe it will capture more interest!**

Stromsten

Professor GRINT!


	3. I Blame The Tape Measure For My Pain

Maybe a little family tree would be helpful. I am Lily, daughter of Harry and Ginny. Rose is the daughter of Ron and Hermione, and Albus is the son of my parents, too. The thing is, I am so much like my parents, but Rose got this weird matchmaking thing from someone. I don't know who. All that I know is that this dance is going to be a nightmare.

"OK," Rose sticks a pen between her teeth, and strikes off another thing on the list. "I think if I dropped a few hints-"

"WHAT?" I yell. The same second years- seriously, what is it with them?- glare at me and scootch out the door. Phew. Glad to be rid of them, so I can chew Rose out in peace.

"You never said anything about _hounding _him so much he is _forced _to ask me or look _stupid_!" I whisper fiercely. Rose cringes, but then stands proud.

"Fine." She says, resigned. She weighs the options, and decides she has nothing to lose. Oh, Merlin. She's going to ask me another one.

"OK. Albus is best friends with him, so if we can strategically run into him…" She raises her eyebrows. I get it. I'm not an idiot.

"Fine." I snap. Why did I ever agree to this in the first place? Because _she_ hounded _me_. Like she was going to do to Angus, poor guy. Rose decided she could push me more. I am SO ready to snap.

"And also… I found out that we are having a Hogsmeade weekend. So… maybe we could get some stuff? It would come out of my budget!" Rose, laughably, is now part of one of the richest families in the wizarding world. Her mom went on to be a doctor, and her dad is a writer whose books have sold millions of copies. Quite a change from Ron's beginning, huh? Rose has a huge allowance that she tends to spend on her "calling." I groaned, but apparently was a yes, because Rose dashed a new check mark on her list. This is going to be a long weekend.

Rose decided to coach me on, and I quote, "how to be a girly-girl."

"OK. Head duck, shy eyes, quick smile, walk away-"

"Stop!" I yelled, my eyes aching from flickering up and down, and my mouth grimacing in an attempt at a shy smile. Rose instantly stopped, afraid if she annoyed me too much I would rebel. I had felt like a Katniss Everdeen figure, with Rose being the Effie Trinket/Haymitch Abernathy. Rose had drilled me in how to manage high heels and have an "attractive personality". I even caught her looking at that scene in _The Hunger Games, _and she defended herself with- "Well, hey, Katniss ended up alive, so you see how well it worked!"

"Well, I doubt that Angus is going to spike my punch with poison at the dance," I muttered darkly, thinking it might not be a bad idea to get rid of Rose. Rose cast her eyes down, and I relented.

"Oh, Rosie. It's OK," I hugged her, thinking her childhood nickname would make her feel better. I was right. Rose brightened quickly, and had a tape measure out before I could say _Capitol. _Afraid of saddening her again- (It's one thing to say when you're sick of her hobby, it's another to make her sad. A sad Rosie is a MISERABLE thing).- I ask quietly,

"What are you doing?" Rose shakes her head in disgust, and pulls out her wand.

"I'm- Mensura!- Measuring you for dress fittings and enchanting the tape measure so it's more accurate." She explains, the tape measure lashed around my wrist like a leash. Suddenly, it darts away like quicksilver to wrap around my waist. I gasp in pain and surprise as it curls tighter. I am SO regretting this right now.

**I know that I am updating really fast, but I prefer short chapters that come out often vs. long chapters that come out once a month. : ) **

**Rose isn't sure what color Lily's dress should be… if you have some constructive criticism and tell me what you think of the story, you could be the chooser! I feel a poem coming on.**

**Hooray! **

**Review today!**

**I will be happay!**

**And we will have a partay!  
I know, it is terrible. But I hope it is a motivator! YAYAY!**

**Luv ya'll!**


	4. Rose, Did You Spy On Him?

Rose knew enough not to drive me too hard or I would snap at her and lose it. She was smart enough to bring me to the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer before trying to mention the dance again.

"Mmmmm." I say, gulping the last dregs. Butterbeer is heaven in a cup. It almost makes me forget about the painful red streaks the spiteful tape measure had left around my waist, neckline, wrists, and every other place it could fit around. Rose daintily sips her gillywater, playing with the pink flower Rosmerta, the bartender, floated in her drink. Rose stands up, and poured the last of her drink her Turbis, and pocketed the flower.

"OK. Now, Lily, fun time for YOU is over. It's time to get your dress." I nodded. I didn't hate clothes shopping, but since I had very little interest in this whole affair, I wasn't excited. Rose pulled me to Madame Malkin's, insisting that she had dresses and that I was just too "plain old black robe" to look around. I was surprised when I walked in. Apparently she was right. In a back room, a rainbow of taffeta and silk lined the walls. Rose picked out a dress, and shook her head before I could try it on.

"Why not?" I complained. I loved icy blue; it was a beautiful color.

"You're an autumn," She explained like it should be obvious. I snatched the dress back and held it up to my body. She was right. The colors looked off. I made a face at her for being right, and carefully hung it back onto the rack. Rose dragged off what looked like hundreds of gowns. We were going to be here for HOURS.

*************************** One hour later*******************************

Rose keeps me blindfolded.

"Can I look yet?" I whine.

"No, not quite." Rose replies. She deftly buttons another button and pulls the sash so tight, one old tape measure spot starts to hurt all over again. I am turned, prodded, and poked, and finally am told I can open my eyes. The first thing I register is that the waistline is at my real waist, which was the style I said I MUST have. I rejected a few really pretty ones because the waist was too high and looked little kid-ish on me. The second is that the dress really is beautiful. I see that the gown is an elegant bronze velvet- warm for winter which is practical. The trim is chocolate, which is also the color of the thick sash tied in a crisp bow. My red hair is complemented by the shades of brown, and my eyes sparkle.

"I really love it," I can say at last. Rose nods, beaming.

"I ADORE IT!" She shrieks. I smile. Oh, Rose. Rose takes out a wallet and pays Madame Malkin, but then she checks her watch and pushes me out the door without warning.

"Woah!" I shout. "Where are we going?" Rose smiles hesitantly, still guiding me away from the shop.

"I kinda overheard Angus saying that he was going to Eeylops Owl Emporium?" She asks, her voice getting higher with every word. I sigh.

"Rosie," I say seriously, "Are you going to tell me if you spied on him or not?" Rose grins sheepishly. I roll my eyes.

"That's enough of an answer." I mutter. Rosie pouts.

"So… are we going or not?" I pretended to think hard so Rose knew that I wasn't about to willingly go everywhere she dragged me, even though my mind was already made up. I DID want an owl, and I had a few galleons dad had given me for a pet, plenty for a nice one. Rose looked at me expectantly, and I bit my lip, considering.

"Fine." I say, pretending I'm doing her a favor. Rose screams. I cover my ears, and stare ahead at the big sign that MIGHT spell my doom.


	5. Do I HAVE To Be So Ridiculously Cliche?

Rose is pulling my arm out. My teeth tug on my bottom lip, a bad habit I had gotten into when I was younger and was worried about a test. Rose drags me into the shop, and wildly looks around, startling several miniature owls who flap and tuck their heads under their wings. The shop is dimly lit, but that doesn't hinder Rose from seeing that their is no Angus anywhere. She huffs in annoyance, but I ignore her. I'm staring at the sweetest little barn owl. She is looking at me with big black eyes, deep but simple. Rose is saying something, but I don't hear her. All I can see is the beautiful little owl.

"Lily, you idiot!" Rose is hissing. "Angus is going into Honeydukes! He should be here next!" Rose pushes me into the bathroom and spins me towards her. She digs in her bag and pulls out a- what the heck is that thing? Rose beams at the THING. It's a tight olive green shirt with white and pink little birds on it that buttons up. Rose hands me a- WHEW THAT THING IS SHORT- skirt. It is pink to match the birds, and is actually really pretty despite it's lack of.. you know... length. Rose is pulling out some brown boots that come up to JUST below my knee. I look at her. _Are you kidding me?! _I mentally scream at her. These are the clothes that I would wear to a nice party! Not a casual outing at Hogsmeade! She looks at me HARD. _No. You PROMISED that you would let me hook you up with Angus. _She challenges.I growl, resigned. Snatching the top, skirt, and shoes, I swing into a bathroom stall and throw on the clothes, taking a little time to carefully tuck my shirt in my skirt because even though Rose is more excited then me about this whole affair, I still might want… NO! Fight that thought down Lills. There is a miniature mirror on the door- why? I don't want to know- and I look at myself, hating the fact that I care what he thinks. I look really pretty. I admit that to myself. The dress clings in all the right places and the colors look good with my pale skin. HOWEVER. That does not disguise the fact that the dress is revealing things I DON'T want to reveal, and is tight around things that leaves too little for imagination to picture. _That could easily work to your adVANtage… _My inner Rose carols teasingly. I blush- do others blush at their thoughts?- and I stomp out. Rose looks delighted. She adjusts my hair- it looks the same both ways to me, but what do I know?- and whips out some lip gloss, stroking the little wand over my lips and quickly applying some mascara.

"It seems you don't need any blush…" Rose says, winking. "Excited?" I fume at her, turning just in time to hear a jingle at the door signaling the fact that someone had just come in the shop. Rose shoves me out the door, causing me to stumble into the main part of the shop where- oh, Merlin, I fall right into Angus's arms. How cliche. I would rather hit the floor and have a headache.

"Oh, um… gosh… sorry!" I cry, realizing that he has me in a sort of an awkward dip as if we were posing at the end of a salsa dance. I also realize that, oh, Merlin's TWIN, he is making no effort to extricate me from his arms. He seems to notice this at the same time I do, and all but drops me. I fall to the floor. Yay. Now I have that headache I was wanting. This time, it's HIS turn to apologize profusely.

"Oh, Lily, I'm so sorry… I didn't mean to drop you…" I notice Rose smirking at me from where she leans against the wall. My anger at her overrides my nervousness. I smile at Angus.

"It's no problem at all, Angus. My friend here seems to have a love of pushing me out of bathrooms. Yes, this is my life." I state proudly, winking at him. Rose seems downright thrilled. I can see her thoughts. _Oh, my best friend finally learned how to flirt! _Color rises in Angus's cheeks, and he smiles

"Well, since I seem to have a love of dropping pretty girls onto hard wooden floors, maybe she would like to go to the Three Broomsticks for some butterbeer?" He asks.

"I would love to my good sir," I reply, sweeping into a mock curtsey. Hey, he was being very cute and charming, and I do love me my butterbeers. Angus crooks his arm.

"Shall we my gentle lady?" He asks, crooking an eyebrow. Now that he is more at ease with me, it seems that he picks up my playful banter effortlessly.

"Of course, good sir," I take his arm and start to walk out with him, but then stop.

"One minute if you please," I tell Angus. I pick up the owl I saw earlier, and count a few galleons into the shop owner's hand. He has been watching all this with interest, and takes my money.

"Please, Miss," He whispers. "Take her home in one of the fancy cages." The fancy cages are made of firm metal and have different colored cushions in them for the owls.

"You sure?" I whisper. He nods. "Anything for the girl who has a handsome guy underneath her thumb," he whispers back. Oh, Merlin's TRIPLET. He's worse than Rose! All the same, I take the owl and transfer her to a gold cage with a bright yellow pillow.

"Araceli," I whisper to the owl. I re-take Angus's arm, and let him wrap the other one around my waist. Normally I wouldn't let anyone be so forward. I'd hex them and run to the nearest classroom. But I don't mind so much. I let him guide me out in the sunshine, to the Three Broomsticks. All I can think is, _OK. Right now, I am SO not regretting this._


	6. Quills and Alleys and Hairpins- Oh My!

Angus doesn't let go of my arm once we are out in the bright sunshine, and through my haze of _OMIGOSH HE ISN'T LETTING GO!., _I notice that Rose is quietly trailing us. I want to think of how I should scold her when we return to our rooms, but my mind is so fuzzy, I can only grasp small details like the fact that he insisted on carrying the cage to the Three Broomsticks and how carefully he is making sure that the cage doesn't tilt. The way he holds tighter when we pass any boys, as if to say, _she's mine._ He's really being ridiculously possessive considering we barely know each other and aren't even dating, but I don't care.

Fine. Maybe I was lying a little when I said that I didn't like him that much. But I DO have the Declaration of Independence right to tell a lie if it helps me in the pursuit of happiness or some rubbish like that.

Angus holds the door for me at the Three Broomsticks, and gently guides me to a small corner table in the back with his hand.

"I'll get our drinks," He says, not even glancing as Rosmerta. That strikes me as odd. Typically every boy is falling over their feet to talk to her. Hermione LOVES to talk about how Ron used to have a crush on the bartender when they were in school. Angus brings the butterbeers back to the table, and sips his. I raise my glass.

"To owls, hard wooden floors, and annoying best friends!" I toast. Angus laughs and clinks his glass to mine.

"I'll be right back," I promise, starting to the bathroom. Angus pauses in his

drink to study me, not noticing that even though my eyes may LOOK like they are focused on the far door, I might have been looking at him, too. He scans me from my head to my feet; his eyes pausing at my waist for a few seconds longer than appropriate. I blush, and scramble towards the bathroom.

Angus insists on buying me a new quill when I tell him I need to head to Flourish and Blotts. Typically I wouldn't THINK of accepting, but I feel more comfortable with him. I agree, and we head out.

"So," I begin, hoping I'm not being too forward. "What do you like to do when you aren't dropping people?" Angus blushes for a moment, but then smiles and laughs.

"Well," he says slowly, "I like Herbology." He winks at me, and I laugh. "My favorite teacher is Professor Longbottom," he continues. "Although he'd probably disown me if I said anything differently."

"I"m not that interesting." He says slowly, glancing at me as if to judge my reaction. I notice we passed Flourish and Blotts, and are at… oh, no. We've stopped pretty far down the road of Knockturn Alley.

"Ooops," Angus says sheepishly, backing away.

"No problem," I respond. "We can just go back. I love looking at the shops."

"No," Angus responds, panic layering his tone, "It's…" I notice a figure coming at us, hiding in the shadows and creeping forward. I gasp and back away with Angus.

"Hello, little girl," the man creaks. "Why don't you come with me? I can buy you some candy." I keep backing, and respond, my throat choked with disgust.

"Nope. Not happening." I say. I know that it isn't the most important thing right now, but candy? REALLY? What am I, five?

"Well, then." He sneers, "If you aren't polite enough to come, missy, I suppose I'll have to make you." Quick as a cat, he reaches out and grabs my waist, pulling me towards him and pointing his wand at Angus. I don't say a word, but reach slowly towards my pocket. Angus's hand is inching toward his wand, but all I can focus on is myself. I reach my pocket, and pull out a little object that a book called _A Tree Grows In Brooklyn_ taught me to keep. I aim towards his hand, and STRIKE

"Yeow!" the man screams in a very undignified manner, skittering away from me and releasing me. I point my wand at him and blast him with red light, dazing him and sending him plummeting to the ground. He sits down hard, and Angus walks up to him.

"Shove off," he says, and punches the man in the face. The man crumples to the ground, and Angus claps his hands together and turns to me.

"How did you make him let go?" He asks, his face serious. I open my hand and show him the one Muggle object I keep up my sleeve- or in my pocket I should say.

"There's this scene in _A Tree Grows In Brooklyn _where a girl's aunt tells her that if anyone bothers her, to stab him with a hairpin. I always keep one, just in case." I explain. Angus strides over to the man and lifts up his hand. A small bead of red blood is the only sign that I hurt him. Angus turns to me.

"Lets Apparate to Flourish and Blotts. I don't want to be here a second longer."

**Yup. I put a creepy person from Knockturn in there.**

**Yup. Very cliche.**

**I'm going to put up another chapter very soon!**


	7. Oh, Stella Why The Nargles?

"I'm going to stop at another shop first. Stay in the quill shop. Don't leave." Angus swirled and disappeared with one last concerned glance at me. I know I have to Apparate to Flourish and Blotts and wait for him, and even though he is a marvelous comfort, all I can think is how I just want to be alone. I wish I could just sit and think. With a small sign of regret, I spin and appear inside the shop. Displays of a cozy red and yellow color show off the new quills, and the only person I see inside is Stella. I'm tempted to leave, since Stella is the last person I want to see today, (I still haven't forgiven her for hanging the poster where Rose could see it even though it wasn't really her fault,) but Angus did tell me to wait for him here. I don't want to follow orders, especially not from a rather headstrong boy, but I suppose I would be worried if I saw someone assaulted, too. It's the least I can do. I stifle my regret, and sit next to Stella.

"Oh, hello Lily," Stella says slowly, dreamily sucking on a quill. (I notice it's a sugar quill, but the shop owner doesn't and keeps shooting her dirty looks.)

"Hello," I respond tightly, not in the mood for conversation. Stella, sadly, never did inherit her mother's way of picking up other people's emotions.

"Mother showed me a picture of a Whangdoodle," Stella continues, still eating her quill, "It wasn't really a picture, though. It was more of a shadow, but not an actual shadow. The kind of shadow that isn't really there. It's more in your head, or maybe your foot." I typically enjoy trying to puzzle out what she says, but I don't feel like it today.

She stares out the window contentedly, but seems to forget about what she wanted to look at and whips out an old edition of The Quibbler, holding it upside down exactly like her mother used too. My mom has told me plenty of stories about the quirky Lovegoods. I look to the side, to see Angus appear in a swoosh of robes. He is holding a bag, and hands me the bag. It's full of self-floating spice drops. My favorite! I instantly pull out a green one, and pop it into my mouth without even bothering to throw it up to see it float

"Do you want one?" I mumble through the candy, tossing a red one into the air where it immediately starts to fly in circles around Angus's head. Angus laughs and tilts his head back, estimating where the candy will fly. He opens his mouth, and lunges for the gummy, and ends up just a few centimeters shy of the spice drop. The spice drop had whizzed out of the way teasingly. I shake my head and laugh.

"The red ones. They taste good, but they're hard to 'swallow'." _Wow. _I chide myself. _swallow pun? Like, a million years old? Nice job. _I push down my subconscious in time to hear his answer

"Just like you, although you ARE more easy to swallow," He responds cheekily, pulling a face and turning his attention back to the candy. I am glad he's focusing on the gummy, because my face is turning the same shade as the gummy. And the candy is CINNAMON flavored! He attacks the candy again, this time managing to swallow it. He looks at me triumphantly. I roll my eyes. Angus faces the wall of the fanciest quills and walks through the display, examining each with care. He asks my opinion of the pros and cons of each, and I find myself admiring how everything he does is calculated to the fullest extent. Being a bookworm myself, I enjoy a person who is a thinker and also a doer. Angus and I finally decide on a swan feather quill. The writing is thin, and my round handwriting compliments the spidery lines the quill makes. Suddenly, Stella stands, tucking her magazine in a holder that seems to be made of hollowed out radishes. The ends are plugged with butterbeer corks.

"I got the materials from mother," Stella explains when she sees my questioning look. "I asked about her favorite radish earrings and her butterbeer necklace. She told me that I should have something like it, but more original. I worried my creation was too much like hers, but she assured me it was fine." I nod, surprised. She seems to not be in a dreamy state like usual. Maybe she is changing. However, I decide that I was incorrect when her eyes glaze over and she starts babbling again.

"People don't always know when one is trying to help them. I once saw Albert and Jane kissing under mistletoe and advised them to stay away from nargles, but they just started yelling and threw a goblet of butterbeer at me." I glance at Angus and see him trying not to smile.

"Albert's one of my friends," he begins. "He never told me about Jane." Luna nods sagely, and keeps on.

"And the Blibbering Humdinger is nearly extinct. The only way to save them is to feed them onions and rice. The rice heals the thabgondon, you see. The thabgondon can burst easily, which is the leading cause of death. The onions are to make sure that they can keep swelling down in the Danforpa. The Danforpa is very…"

I tune out there, for I see that Angus has gone to pay for my quill. He is heading for the desk, when Rose bursts in the door. Her hair is a mess, and her clothes are wrinkled. She opens her mouth, and gasps out-

TO BE CONTINUED

**I know. I'm so mean. I really wanted a cliffhanger there. Hope you like the story! PLEASE REVIEW!**


	8. Rose Messes Up And I Read Shakespeare

"Lily, oh, Lily!" Rose drops to the floor and moans frantically. "Please help me!" I see through the act then. Her clothes are deliberately wrinkled, and I know my best friend enough to tell that she just wants the juicy details. She's desperate enough to pretend something went really wrong just to hear me relate every look, syllable, and physical contact of our "outing". Of course poor Angus doesn't know this, and is worried, though, (I feel a small twinge of gratification,) not nearly as much as he was for me when we had ended up in Knockturn. I decide to go along with the ruse, mainly because I don't know how to call her out on it, and leap up. I'm at her side in a moment.

"I'll see you later Angus," I say, staring at Rose with (faked) large, worried eyes. Angus presses the swan quill we picked out in my hand, and motions that he'll pay when I'm gone, nervously staring at Rose, who, frankly, looks a mess. I can't stand this. I turn so that I'm facing him with my back to Rose, and mouth _She's faking, sorry! _Angus accepts this without question, and winks. I turn back to Rose and walk her out, her leaning on my shoulder, heavily limping with every step. Once outside, I lead her to an abandoned corner where a couple had just casually walked out. The guy's bright red face, however, suggests something else. Well. Awkward. ANYWAY, I pull her into the corner and yank out my wand.

_ "_Scourgio!" I whisper, and her face is washed clean of the dirt. Sure it's not the most gentle spell I could use, considering it's not even for skin, but frankly, I'm rather miffed. I hiss a few more spells and my best friend is clean with a dress that looks like it had just been ironed. I do leave her hair a mess, though, out of spite.

"So. That wasn't smart," I say with a tiny bit of snap to my tone. "Angus will NOW want to know why you were racing in a shop acting like a banshee." I knew I had a biting voice when I wanted, and could practically draw blood with my words, but I can't bear to be too rude to my best friend. Rose doesn't even have the decency to look sheepish.

"Welp," she says, popping the P, "I couldn't wait to find out how your makeshift date went,"- insert indignant sound from me- "So I finally took matters into my own hands." I can't help it. I blow up.

"WHAT DO YOU CALL WHAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING FOR THE PAST WEEK, THEN?" I shout. A few second years poke their heads in curiously. ARG! What IS it with these second years? THIS IS THE THIRD TIME! I lose it AGAIN. "WHAT THE _HECK _ARE YOU STARING AT?" I scream. They retract their heads and beat it, which is the best course of action for them. All I want is to get out of the stupid alley. I turn on my heel and sprint away. Several more students stare at me, but I don't care. I. DON'T. CARE. I know I'm being unreasonable and acting idiotically touchy, but I've had it up to HERE with Rose twisting herself into the part of my life I just want her OUT of. I tear down the street, and collide with an older witch that looks scandalized. Oh, Merlin's pants. I'm still wearing the clothes.

"THIS is the problem with the younger generation today!" She gripes. "What happened to cute little tops and skirts? Sweater sets? Matching-" I don't hear the rest of her monologue. I have run away, finally passing Argus and collapsing onto my bed. I love Hogsmeade trips, because when Rose goes out with Albus, I can come back to peace and quiet. I can pull out my comfort items and relax. I pull on a pair of black sweatpants and a soft shirt. I push my hair back, and slip a pair of slippers on my feet. I stand on my bed and reach the stone just below the canopy covering it. Carefully, I pry it open. Inside the fairly large cavern where I pulled the stone out, I placed an Undetectable extension charm. In it I keep my comfort items, and a few secrets. I pull out a few of the chocolate frogs that I… um… may have *cough cough* taken from the cart when the witch wasn't looking on the train here… *cough cough*. I also take out my book that I'm re-reading for the millionth time, my favorite Shakespeare play. No, not Romeo and Juliet. That's my third. My second is As You Like It. My favorite is a comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream. I pad across the room, and peek out the door. No one. I sit back on my bed and crack open my book. Then I begin to weave my passion. The secret not even Rose knows, though there is nothing embarrassing about it whatsoever. It's just my secret, one thing that I can't send out into the light. It wouldn't know how to survive there, and it's just too precious to be tainted by human knowledge. I begin to recite.

**Not making you suffer a cliffie. I really hate those, yet love them at the same time! Right now, I'm going to give Stromsten a PRESENT for being with me from the beginning! A VIRTUAL WHALE. Also, to Miss Hanayou, a VIRTUAL UNICORN. Yes. I love virtual things.**

**Thank you for sticking with my story, even though I've been so flaky lately! Anyway, summer's starting, so that means I might be able to do daily updates. MAYBE.**

**I love you for being so loyal. Signing off!**


	9. I Take A Nose Dive Into A Barrel

**Warning everybody!**

**This chapter is going to be slightly dark. It's character development; I didn't know what problem Lily should have until now. It's a good one! (I mean bad, but… never mind)**

**ANYWAY. This is a MAJORLY IMPORTANT chapter.**

"Give us your hands if we be friends, and Robin shall restore amends!" The words slip easily off my tongue, rolling through the air. But it doesn't have the same effect as it usually does. I still feel depressed, and I've found that the only way to make that go away is to toss away the memories, throw them in the trash. Because not everyone loves The Boy Who Lived, my father, the auror that hunts the supporters of Voldemort, though Voldemort is dead.

Voldemort is dead. But Voldemort's supporters live on.

I shove my script into the cavern in the wall and slam the door shut, only catching one phrase of a letter written to me. The flashback starts in my mind before I can stop it.

_A boy and a girl run, carefree, through the grass and collapse under a tree. The boy turns his head of dark brown hair, blinks his dark brown eyes and grins. _

_ "Lily, are you OK? You seem worried." A dark shape looms over him, and he turns, just to scream in fright. It's-_

"NO!" I shriek. OK, so I'm having one of my attacks again. Nothing bad… nothing bad… Bad. I run out the door to the one place that settles my memories. The Room Of Requirement. I sprint inside the door, to find a basin made of wood. My memories swirl inside of it. Every memory has in common one element. They include the same person. Maybe… if I sorted through them? One at a time. I've been chewing on this idea for years. But today… I'm going to do it. I sigh. The raw wood hurts my fingers as I lean over the bowl, lower my head, and FALL. I land on my back in the middle of a grassy field. A brown eyed boy is above my other self, in a tree. He seems to be about twelve, and my stomach hurts, because I recognize him. The other me is leaning against the same tree. The boy leans down… and dumps a bucket of water on her. The other me isn't wet, though. She had shifted out of the way just in time.

"Nice try!" She calls. The boy pouts. "Awwwwwww…" He swings down, and his gaze lingers on the other me. The other me doesn't notice, and starts to lecture him. When all he does is grin, she stalks away, swinging her long hair. And from behind a bush, a dark form watches. I jump out of the memory so fast, my head aches from where I cracked it on the ceiling. I guess I should leave. I sprint out the door and run _Smack! _Into someone. Oh, Merlin. It's Angus.

"What are you doing out?" Angus asks, surprised. I snort. "I have a right to walk around the castle!" I announce. He then suddenly smacks a hand over my mouth, picks me up by the waist, and whisks me into a coat closet. _**What the heck**_?!

**Hello! I'm so touched! Three reviews in one chapter! THANK YOU MY FRIENDS! Poor Lils! I give her so many troubles. I hope she can forgive me! Anyway, I know. SO SHORT. I'm going to get another chapter up today, and I gave you a LOT to chew on in this chapter. Bye!**


	10. I Turn Angus Into The Bloody Baron

I'm not a little Miss Prissy, swooning at whatever one of the opposite gender does. I'm not going to let a boy shove me into a closet! I kick him as hard as I could, but he only clamps tighter. I bite his hand, white-hot victory soaring through me when I taste blood (Wow that sounds awfully disturbing), and he FINALLY lets go.

"Let the **** go of me!" I scream. He silences me again. Then I hear it. _padpadpadpad THUNK THUNK_ _padpadpadpad THUNK THUNK. _Ohhhh… Argus and Mrs. Norris. Makes sense. They'd smell a rat, us randomly in an abandoned corridor not near anything except the small wing the Room of Requirement is in. Wait, why ANGUS in an abandoned corridor? I'm not liable to get answers, so. Well then. Suddenly, I notice that Angus is on top of me. WHY do we end up in these situations? With all the dignity I can muster, I nod. He lets me go and picks me up again, setting me upright like I'm a china doll. Then I notice the blood.

"Oh my-" I whisper, horrified. I take his hand. His hand is literally gushing blood. I fumble for my wand. I whisper a spell, and his hand seals up.

"So sorry!" I apologize in a soft tone. He shrugs, as if to say "It's OK." I press my ear to the door. Coast is clear. I push open the door quietly, and peek out for any unsavory characters. Nope. I turn to face Angus, who is trailing blood from my vicious bite. He's worse than the Bloody Baron. And it's my fault. Oops. I'm not sticking around here any longer. I gather my shredded dignity, and flee as quickly as I can.

Once back in my dormitory, I trip like the klutz I am. Not having much luck today, am I? I sprawl headfirst in front of Rose. She looks at me guiltily. Part of me wants to forgive her, hug her, stop her from being so sad, but I'm too mad. So I stalk to my bed and ignore her, drawing the curtains around my bed closed. I hear the creak of springs as she climbs into her bed, and settles down. I wait for more clues. Why isn't she moving? Propping my head on my chin, I look out my window. Merlin's pants! It's dark! Frantically I look at my watch. It's 12:32? That's WAY past curfew. No wonder Angus threw me in a closet. Argus would string us up by our toes if he were to sniff us out! Ug. My brain hurts. I turn around, and stare at the top of my bed. Encased in the red curtains, I'm in my own little world. It's creepy, though. Dark. I know I'm afraid of the dark. I should really go to bed… but I'm not tired, am I? And… since I'm not tired… shouldn't I read? Yes.

So I let myself turn on the lamp I secretly keep under my bed. I prop it against the wall, and lay back in bed. I take out my wand and cast a lazy impervious spell on the cloth shielding me. It's meant for water, but it also makes the light undetectable, for which I'm grateful. I take out A Midsummer Night's Dream, and begin to read.

_The best in this kind are but shadows; and the worst_

_are no worse, if imagination amend them._

I don't feel like reading that part. I backtrack a while.

_I will not trust you, I,_

_Nor longer stay in your curst company._

_Your hands than mine are quicker for a fray,_

_My legs are longer though, to run aw-_

I sit bolt upright. A creak, from outside my cloth cocoon. _Creak. Creaaaaaaaaaaakcreak. creak creak creak._ And then my curtains are thrown open, and Rose looks down at me, crying. I stare at her frostily, but bring down my barriers when she makes a strangled noise in her throat.

"Rosie, Rosie, Rosie," I croon, hugging her. "Here, come in." Rosie thankfully takes my invitation, and collapses on the bed. I draw the curtains shut again, and dive under my bed. I bring out a chipped tea mug I sometimes use for a late night soother when nightmares come, and set it on the bed. Drawing out my want, I concentrate.

_ "Gemino_," I murmur, and an exact copy materializes. I then whisper, "_Accio _butterbeer!" Rose just sits, wrapped in one of the many quilts her grandmother knitted for her. About a minute later, a big bottle of butterbeer nudges against the glass of my window. I open it, ignoring the cool air that slips over my fingers, and take the butterbeer. Nights are getting cooler, but this bottle must have come from a heated cellar. It's quite hot, and as I set it down on the small ledge over my pillow, I blow on my hands to cool them down. Taking it by the neck, I unscrew the cap and pour a large mug for Rose, allowing myself to have some when she takes a big swig. She laces her fingers around the warmth, and I hug her all over again.

"Lils, I'm SO SO sorry, and I won't ever interfere again and-" I stop her flow of words.

"Rose, as much as I'm going to regret this in the future, you can keep meddling. I've grown to like this plan of yours a LITTLE, at any rate. Anyway, we've already bought the dress." Rose sloshes her butterbeer out of the mug onto my leg as she winds her arms around my neck. "_S-OUCH," _I wince as the hot butterbeer lands. Rosie finishes her butterbeer in a succession of quick gulps, and gives me a smile. She hugs me one more time, hops out of the bed and retreats to her own. I smile, stash away the butterbeer, clean the mugs with a spell, and lie back down. _Oh, Rosie, _I think. _By the time the dance comes around, you're going to be so sick of my griping you'll wish you never asked to help. _I grin again, and sleep.

**Well. I managed two chapters in a day, and this is my longest. Yay! I dedicate this to all the loyal people who stuck with me from the beginning. **

**Bye!**


	11. Angus Aengus WHAT?

When I wake up, the first thing that I can think of is Rose. I groan and turn onto my side, watching a small ray of dawn slip through the crack in the red fabric surrounding my bed. I look down and realize I'm still in the comfy clothes and slippers I pulled on last night. I reach beside my and stroke Araceli.

"Poor darling," I murmur. "Yesterday went rather sour, huh? I never got to play with you darling!" Araceli blinks his deep eyes at me and hoots softly. He's on the soft, plum colored cushion that came with the gold cage. At the top of the cage is a little dent that you can glue decoration in to personalize the cage. Rose has a mouse (rather against the rules, since a mouse isn't a rat, but she doesn't care) that she bought a cage like mine for. Hers, however, has a pink cushion, and she, for her decoration, has a gold knob that is specially made. It can turn into almost anything from a knife to a spool of never-ending thread. She gave me one for my birthday, figuring I could use it when I (quote,) "Spent some money for Merlin's sake and bought a pet", but I haven't done anything with it except make it into a really cool bookmark when I'm shorthanded for one. I reach for my wand and mumble a spell, all the while holding it over the small dent. One undoable sticking charm later, the knob is safely secured on top of the cage, and then I think about the time. I don't have a clock or anything handy, but I do have a magic knob! I tap my wand on it three times and whisper, "Reformabit clock." The ball turns into a small clock, and I can see that it's...FIVE THIRTY? Awesome. I'm not even tired, it's a weekend, and I can take a nice, relaxing trip! I slip into some black robes and quickly walk out of the dormitories. Now that Voldemort's gone, the new headmaster is a lot more lax, letting us take spur of the moment trips to home or whatever. She just makes us sign a book of when we leave and when we'll be back, and she has a twelve hour limit. No overnight stays, either, unless it's a holiday and people are visiting home. Who woulda thunk McGonagall had it in her? Dad says she was pretty strict during his school days, but that she was the best in a pinch. I stop for a moment and think. Where should I go? I don't want to stick around the grounds, 'cause I'm kind of sick of staying inside all of the time. After walking around for a while, I finally decide to go home for a quick visit. I scribble my name in the book next to the giant entrance hall, walk outside and run along the path until I'm outside of the school grounds. It's about two miles, and by the time I manage to find The Fireplace, I'm winded. I touch the pouch of Floo powder I always keep in my pocket, reassuring myself I didn't run all this way for nothing. Before taking it out, however, I admire The Fireplace. It sure is beautiful. A while back, when some wizards had taken an interest in geology, they dug up a mammoth piece of quartz. Seriously. It was as big as a regular-sized house, although a lot think that they put and enlarging charm on it. The Ministry had used it for two decorative pillars, and when the Ministry was trashed, McGonagall took the quartz and fashioned it into a fireplace the size of a small room. The fire inside flickered on the pure, polished quartz, making it flash and sparkle like amber in the sun. I reach for my pocket, when suddenly, from behind me, I hear a noise. I gasp, and hurtle into the corn field beside me. I silently curse myself. WHY? It's not a crime to visit somewhere! Sheesh. A boy with closely cropped brown hair and green eyes strides down the path. He has chocolate colored skin, and smile lines. I don't recognize him, but then again, I don't recognize many people in my year. I'm fairly anti-social. The boy starts toward the fire, but then turns and looks straight at me.

"LILY!" He cries. I back up, but he runs forward and clasps my hands into his. "So YOU'RE the girl he's always going on about!" I try to tug away, but it's not working. He's seriously got my hands in a death grip. Wait, what guy? I'd think on it more, but suddenly he let's go of me. Then he grabs my head like it's a basketball! This guy has no respect for personal boundaries. He examines me carefully, making little comments. "Hmm… you _seem_ nice enough, but never go by appearances. Sweet looking, I bet you're as innocent as they come, hmm?" I break free.

"Who even ARE you?" I ask. His bubbly manner suddenly turns fake-shocked.

"You don't even know my name?" He asks. He gets down on one knee and takes my hand into his. "I'm Aengus! You know, the best friend to the guy you're smitten with?" My stomach comes down with a thunk and I blush. Aengus ignores my discomfort and keeps going. "In case you're wondering, he's even more obsessed. The guy talks about you day in and day off. Or day in and out. Whatever. ANYWAY, he's obsessed." I should be terrified of this guy and want to check him into a mental hospital, but he's actually pretty nice, just… a tease. Aengus goes on. "Anyway AGAIN, Angus and I were strangers until the day that we found out that our names were pronounced the same. It's awesome! My name's actually spelled A-E-N-G-U-S, by the way. Oh, hey, I got to run, but Angus sent me to find you and ask you to dinner. He's probably biting his nails to the quick as we speak. He'll pick you up! Oh, and wear something nice." I don't know what to say to this, at least until Angus hurries down the path, looking exhausted.

"AENGUS YOU ARE SO DEAD." He says all in one breath. He stops in front of me, and starts speaking rapid fire.

"Don't believe anything that he said and I'm so sorry and I didn't want him to come along and I was going to ask you if you could come with me into the fireplace because I want to show you something really pretty and THEN I would ask you to dinner but he tagged along and WHEW he can run so fast and don't believe ANYTHING he said and-" Aengus turned and shook him.

"Mate, calm down. Oh, and you might want to take back the whole "anything you said" part, because I just confessed your undying love for her. She blushes a lot." At that I, predictably, blush. Angus looks horrified.

"Oh, gosh, Lily, I'm SO SO sorry and um… would you like to go to dinner? I know a really nice Muggle place… I got reservations and… um… about the undying love thing… ummm..." I stop him because the poor boy is obviously flustered.

"I would love to go to dinner." I say, smiling. Aengus smiles.

"He'll pick you up at six." Aengus informs me, and Angus punches him in the shoulder. Aengus winces.

"That hurt." He moans. Angus nods.

"I'd say good, but we have company." Aengus looks at me with a tragic _save me_ expression on his face.

"Lily!" He cries, pouncing on me and knocking me to the ground. "Save me from the evil Angus!" I push him off of me and shook my head.

"Umm… Aengus? This is SO confusing. Can I call you Aen?" Angus and Angus both nod.

"Sure!" They chorus. I point at Aengus.

"Oh." They both say. embarrased.. Aengus nods.

"Sure." He says.

**OK. What do you think of Aengus? And the whole Aen thing? I like it. I really like this chapter! I'm so excited! Whooooo! Anyway, I'm really excited for the next chappie. See you!**


	12. Rose Decides to Show Her Moves

Aen gets up from the ground and launches himself at Angus, now. He rubs Angus's head, messing up his hair, and gushes out,

"My little friend, getting the girl of his dreams!" Angus's eyes open wide and he pushes Aen away. He blushes furiously, and the funny thing is with me in the picture he can hardly deny it. I mean, my face is glowing even redder, so I'm one to talk about him looking funny.

"Well… umm… bye?" He offers.

"Bye!" I respond, a bit too cheerily.

"Fare thee well o beauteous one!" Aen salutes. Angus shoves him away. Aen pouts. Angus shoots me a _don't worry he's just kidding _look. I nod, and turn back to the castle. I don't really feel like traveling. I'm too busy wondering what Rose is going to do to me. After me, Aen shouts,

"Warning you, this is a place you really want to get your fancy stuff out for!"

To Rose's credit, she is fairly controlled. She doesn't even scream that long, although that may be because Madame Pince is swooping around like a bat in glasses.

"What are you going to wear?" She whispers, pretending to examine a book.

"Well… that's the thing. I was hoping you could, um, give me some pointers?" I murmur, knowing how excited this'll make her. She almost faints, instead throwing the book in the air. I have my wand whipped out and the spell cast so quickly it hovers a few inches before the ground. Whew! Rose grabs my hand, and pulls me out of the library.

"Where are we going?" I ask. Rose just tugs harder, and the fact that she's smiling like crazy alerts me that she's either going to tell me a secret, or give me something. After about fifteen minutes, (in which she frantically taps her foot every time we wait for a moving staircase), we finally reach her dormitory. Once there, she opens her lowest dresser drawer; the one she keeps nothing in. Rose glances at me and grins again. I smile back, slightly confused.

"Just… follow me." She reassures me, and promptly steps into the drawer, disappearing from sight. I gape at the empty drawer for a while, and finally realize she must have put a portal inside it. The sly dog! I never knew she had done this! I finally gather the guts to step into the drawer, and feel myself sucked into a gigantic closet. Rose is studying showcases of dresses, all of them prettier than any I've ever seen.

"How did you…"

"Get all these?" She finishes. She looks sheepish. "Well…" I glance at my watch theatrically. "I kind of… made them." She mutters in a rush. _WHAT? _

"You MADE these?" I gasp, stroking a beautifully constructed lavender gown. The skirt is long and sweeping, and it's a work of art. As I stare I notice how a few embroidered colors blend harmoniously, and as I look yet closer, the hem is neat, every stitch exactly a centimeter. Rose nods.

"I taught myself, thinking that I could just make some new shirts or something. But when the wizard fabric warehouse closed, he didn't know what to do with his fabric. I cast an extension charm on a bag, and loaded every bolt in it. It took days, but the man got all of his workers to help. They didn't know what to do with it. This was years ago. I can make a dress awfully quickly now, just a day for the basic gown and another few hours for embroidery and such. And, well, this is my favorite dress. It took me weeks to finished. I was thinking, this dress would be beautiful on you." I take the gown she is holding out. It has a flared, structured skirt, and is a very light celadon green. Around the skirt is an embroidered lattice of soft white thread, the arbor twisting with the palest pink roses you could ever see. A sash of dark green, just like the rose petals, encircles the waist with white thread detailing fingering out from all over it. I stroke the gown, and make a spurt of the moment decision.

"Rosie, I love, love, love the dress that you bought at Madam Malkin's. But, truth be told, I would prefer a Rose original for the dance." Rose looks up at me.

"You really think it's that good?" She asks, almost tearfully. I nod. Rose pulls herself together, and her voice cracks as she says.

"Well, Lily, that means we need to find you another dress, huh?"

I nod. "I may have something else." Rose hauls out another dress, this one rose red. It is strapless, with a red fitted bodice that fades to white. Looped back from the white skirt are two swaths of red cloth, achieving the Queen of Hearts look but without the guady decorations. Rose had embroidered curling, swirling vines with leaves that look as if they'd tremble at the slightest breeze on the white underskirt. It is radiant. I especially like the leaves, as green as jade. When I say this to Rose, she smiles.

"Hmm… jade." She says, and lightly pushes me to the left.As I wander through a rainbow of ball gowns, I light upon a chest of jewelry. Not cheap colored glass, but strands of milky pearls, diamond tiaras, a pendant made of a splendidly faceted ruby, a bangle of gold. I look at her, hoping she didn't steal these.

"I didn't," she quickly defends herself. "These were from when my great-great grandmother owned a jewelry store. Everything she sold was legal and dug from the ground, but the magic police got on her case because Muggles were getting suspicious of all the rare and precious things she had. She might have charmed them from a place too deep for Muggles to reach… but no matter what she had to close. Anyway, I thought that, for one thing, these earrings would look perfect." Shyly she holds up a waterfall of jade drops held together with gold. "They'd bring out the vines and your eyes."

"They're beautiful." I take the earrings, and examine them. I nod, and she drops them into a small plum pouch. I skim my hands over the jewelry, for she seems happy to let me do the rest of the choosing. I finally decide on a necklace, and a small dark green gerber daisy that seems to be carved out of jade, just like the earrings. I also manage to dig up a pair of matching bangles, which Rose tells me are both carved out of a single piece of jade. Rose carefully tucks the bangles into a box, and places the necklace in some plush stuff that will protect it. Slipping all of those into her pocket, she picks out one more thing.

"Typically, I'd think all of this jewelry is a bit too much color. But since they're small and tastefully chosen to bring out the vines, which are a tiny piece of the dress, I think you can take one more thing. It's the last part of the set."

"These are all part of a set?" I ask. Then I redden. Of course not, Lily. That's why they are all made of jade and match. Rose nods, sensing my discomfort, and holds out a small box. I reach for it, but she yanks it away.

"Ah, ah, ah! Nope! I'm going to put on the jewelry and the dress and your makeup and everything. THEN you'll be perfect. I agree, since she is the one lending me… well… everything. Rose leads me to a ladder, and I climb up into the dormitory. Rose follows, toting the jewelry and dress. When we emerge into the dorm, I notice the clock on Araceli's cage. It's three 'o'clock, so I have plenty of time to get ready. Rose seems to think elsewise, however. She grabs my arm.

"Whoa! Where are you taking me?" I ask, running after her.

"Where else? To your personal spa. The Room of Requirement." She responds enthusiastically.

Oh, dear.

"Are you sure this really counts as requirement?" I pant.

**Oh, my goodness. THREE PAGES. For those of you who type, like, ten pages at a time this MIGHT seem pathetic that I'm excited about this, but this is MAJORLY AWESOME in my book. Hmmm… I wonder which chapter has the most words? I'll put that in the next chapter. ****If any of you read the ANs, put a smiley face in your review.**

**BTW, I'm going to start putting in a fun fact with EVERY CHAPTER. Whew! So, my first one-**

**If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days, you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee! Anyone up for some caffeinated mud?**


	13. Aen: The Flower Girl Extraordinaire

Rose keeps dragging me down the hall, bumping into quite a few students.

"Sorry. Excuse me! Ooh… cute top!" She calls out, the students deciding to part for this odd girl whose friend was keeping her head down.

"Rose. Don't I have enough time before the date? I think that I'm fine throwing on the dress and maybe a little lip gloss if you insi-"

"NO." Rose says, firm and absolute. "My beautiful creations are not THROWN on. They are coveted, and protected, and carefully ironed. Then they are delicately lifted upon the blessed person who gets to wear them." Rose nods her head, and looks at me firmly.

I should have known not to use the adjective "thrown".

Rose pulls me into the abandoned corridor, and all of a sudden I resist her tugging.

"Wha-"

"Just a second, pretty please with a magic unicorn on top?" I beg. I carefully open the closet that Angus stowed me in to hide from Filch. I notice three big spots of blood, and wince. Rose gapes at the stain on the otherwise immaculate wood, and turns to me.

"How did that-"

"Umm… I *MIGHT* have accidentally bitten Angus's hand and made it gush blood when he was trying to keep me from getting detention but I ACTUALLY might not have. I, um, don't remember?" I ask. Rose stares. I wait. And wait. And wait some more. It's gone on for a while, and it's really getting annoying, so I wave my hand in front of her face. She snaps out of it.

"Oh, Lily. It's a wonder he's managed to survive when his crush is going around biting his hand until it LEAVES SPOTS OF BLOOD-"

"You make it sound like I did something wrong!"

"Lily, you _did_ do something wrong. He was trying to help you!"  
"The boy shoved me in a closet! I panicked, all right? And he also muzzled me!" I say defensively.

"Awww! How romantic!"

"The spots of blood left from the whole horrible encounter in MY opinion prove otherwise. And I like talking!"

"Lily, you're digging yourself into a hole. Just stop." Rose sighs. I stop. Rose stands in front of the Room of Requirement.

"I need a private place to make Lily look beautiful for her date!" Rose informs the wall. The wall does nothing.

"Um. I require a room no one else can enter to beautify Lily!" Rose attempts.

"Rose, that's the wrong wall." A voice echoes throught the room.

"Of course." Rose mumbles, and repeats the first of the two variations.

"Wait a second, who the heck was that?" I ask.

"Just me!" Aen appears from the adjacent closet, and grins.

"Still clueless…" Rose mutters.

"Milady, it is just Aen your humble servant!" Aen bends down to kiss her hand. Rose jerks away.

"Well Aen My Humble Servant, first of all, back off. I have a boyfriend. Second of all, I'm WAY out of your league. So leave before you get hurt." She warns.

"Rose, he's just… like that. Sorry." I explain.

"I like your friend. She's feisty." Aen observes, sitting down on the floor. "So… are you gonna let me watch the makeover?"

"No." Rose and I echo. Aen frames his face with his hands.

"Pretty please?"

"Nope."

"Well, I have some info you might want to know about this place… IF you let me watch, I'll tell you." He bribes. Rose and I look at each other, and hold a facial conversation. At the end, the whole thing adds up to- Fine But We Don't Want To.

"Wonderful!" Aen gushes. I grunt and turn to the wall, where the door had swung open earlier. It reveals a beautiful room. It's walls are a soothing baby blue, and in it is a bathtub and sink. They both seem to be make out of gold. The tub is as big as a swimming pool, just deep enough for me to have my head comfortably above water without straining myself, but still deep enough for me to be able to stand with the rest of my body covered. Bath salts, bubbles, and special effect buttons are on a large rack that stretches into the middle of the tub. Rose nods to a door, and says,

"I can magic or whatever you call it some cloth in there and start working on a custom made dress for your next date."

"Oooh, are you one of those fancy-shmancy seamstress girls?" Aen asks, propping his head on his hands.

"Shut up. Anyway, Lily, I'll be there."

"Oh, Rose!" I begin, but she cuts me off.

"Use whatever you like, but not too much of anything, because-"

"Merlin's pants! You have no faith."

"No, I don't."

"Ouch."

Rose steps out the door tugging Aen, and I test the steaming water. This bathtub is really a more modern version of the prefect tub, but easier to use. I climb into the tub, and wash my face. After that, I decide to have some fun. I press a special effect button, and silky yellow bubbles float carelessly around the room. Thankfully, they're scentless, because I have my eye on some bath salts. I touch another shimmery button, and baby blue bubbles, the exact color of the walls, bounce around the room. Finally I smell the bath salts. There are different ones of every single color of the rainbow, in perfect order. The red are too pungent, smelling waaaay to strongly of cherry sno-cones. Yuck. The orange ones would smell good to a citrus lover, but all I like are lemons and limes. Grapefruit and oranges, get outta here! Yellow ones are honeysuckle, but much too soft. I can barely smell it. I want a happy medium, not too strong or too scent-less. I skip the green, because the color is a bit too scary. Very neon. Eeep! Blue is a flowery scent, too old and heavy for me. Purple is lavender, which is much too sweet. I'm pretty disappointed that I haven't found anything that smells good, so I decide to try the green. I expect rosemary, so I recoil when I smell… oh! Green tea perfume, just like what mom wears. I've always watched her, since I was a toddler, spritz some and walk through a cloud of mist. I always loved the bottle, too, clear so you could see the light green perfume inside, with the same color leaf-shaped stopper on the top. I quickly take a handful and throw the crystals in the air, watching them pop some of the mingling bubbles and land with tiny splashes in the water. I lean back, and let myself soak up the water. When I decide I've luxuriated long enough, I quickly dry myself and slip on the Queen of Hearts dress Rose left for me. I'm tempted to look in the mirror, but resist the urge, knowing Rose would flip out. Quickly smoothing the light fabric, I admire how well it fits, and am surprised that the fabric is so light it feels like only one layer, not two! I quickly leave the bathroom, and find myself walking straight into a blindfold.

"Not letting you see yet! It's going to be a supriiiiiiseeeee!" Rose squeals. I just shake my head.

After numerous applications of cold cream, (mainly because I flinched whenever I felt a pointy thing resembling a stick line my eye), I'm finally made up. Rose shuffles around for a bit, and I suddenly feel the cool metal of the necklace being placed around my neck. She then picks up my obedient left arm and slips the jade bracelets on. She pokes the earrings in, and, after a lot of fussing with my hair, finally speaks.

"All right, you can now open your eyes. Are you ready?" She asks.

"Hit me." I respond. The first thing are my eyes. Rose applied the teeniest bit of eyeliner you can have, and a bit of mascara. Something powdery she spread over my face makes it glow, like, actually glow. But it doesn't look weird or anything, it looks like I'm naturally radiant. She applied some cotton candy pink lip gloss which is sheer and shimmery, and she brushed on some blush. But the best part is my hair. My hair is twisted into an elegant bun, with a few curls framing my face. Front and center is a fancy, beautiful barrette. It is seven small gerber daisies carved out of jade. The outside of the daisies are coated in a brushed layer of gold, and a drop of peridot rests, shining, in each daisy except the middle one. The middle one has a diamond, sparkling like it was freshly polished.

"Beautiful," I breathe. Rose nods, quite pleased with herself.

"Girl, you are knockout. Poor Angus won't know what hit him." Aen observes. I blush so heavily I place my hands to my cheeks.

"She's turning quite read." Aen tells Rose.

"Yes, she resembles a tomato." Rose replies.

"You better stop blushing at my comments. Someone who doesn't know better might think someone _else _has a little crush…" Aen smirks. I blush even darker.

"Wow. If she's blushing like that because of you, someone annoying, complimenting her, I don't want to even see what she looks like when Angus tries to make a move." Rose laughs. I cover my ears. Great.

"By the way, the restaurant he's taking you to has a ballroom. It's pretty fancy-schmancy. So, you MIGHT want these tights." Aen hands me a pair of plain and simple tights. "And these shoes." Aen tosses a pearly satin dancing slipper my way. It has a small heel, and the front part has pearls rimmed around where the foot goes in. "They're actually made by a famous German shoe-maker. Light as air. Ever since mom died, I haven't known what to do with them ever since." I stare at him, shocked.

"Yup. Lung cancer." He says, trying to swallow the lump that is obviously in his throat. "Anyway, I figured I should probably lend them to the future mother of my godchild." I stare at him, my cheeks dusted with red again. I don't speak. "By the way, I better be a flower girl." He says.


	14. Memories of a Poignant Burning Couch

"Lily, I'm kidding." Aen rolls his eyes. I recover quickly.

"Aen, it's OK. We all know you have a secret love of frilly dresses." I say, patting him on the back. Aen looks startled.

"No, I'm…"

"Aen." I shake my head sadly at him. "Don't deny it. It's a part of you." Aen blanches.

"Lily! I swear I was kidding! Really! You have to believe me!" All cool exterior has crumbled, and he is completely panicked already. And I'm just getting started.

"Aen." Rose gets in on the action. "This is just sad. Accept yourself." And THIS is why she's my best friend. She can catch a fastball!

"Lily, Rose…" Aen is freaking out. He grabs my shoulders, and shakes me. "I'm lying! I mean, I'm not lying! Wait, what?"

"I knew it." Rose announced. "At least you have the strength to admit it."

"I think we should get him a purple gown." I muse aloud, tapping my chin.

"Are you crazy? That would totally clash with his eyes!" Rose stares at me.

"But, it's like how my cousin, who has green eyes, wears lavender eyeshadow. It makes them pop!" I argue.

"Mmmm… true. But, should we match it to his skin, eyes, or hair?" Rose asks.

"Guys!" Aen looks like he's about to faint.

"Eyes, but again, I think we should do the purple to make them stand out." I insist.

"OK, I guess you're right. Hey, do you want me to make a new dress for you? Or use an existing one?" Rose asks. Aen claps his hands over his ears and runs away, shooting back at us,

"Lalalalala! I can't heaaaaaar youuuuuu!"

"Well. That's fairly immature." I calmly remark. Rose nods.

"Rather."

"Rose, Angus is picking me up in three minutes, and I'm freaking out. Wait a minute, where is he picking me up!? Oh no… Oh no…" Rose clutches her hair.

"You. Didn't. Settle. Small. Details? Lily, you're hopeless." Just then, a large splotchy owl soars in through the window, and plops a small velvet bag on my bed. The pouch is drawstring, and has a pretty gold card attached to it that reads, _To Lily, from Angus. P.S- don't freak out._ I'd have more time to contemplate that, but suddenly the owl hoots, snatches a treat from the small bowl of owl treats I keep on my bedside table for Araceli, and drops it in Araceli's cage. The strange owl hoots again, only softly, and Araceli takes the treat, breaks it in half with her beak, and gives one of the pieces to the splotchy owl. I look at Rose, who is watching the entire affair with mooney eyes.

"What are they-" I begin.

"Oh, Lily! Don't you know anything about owls? This is how they show interest in each other as a potential mate." She gushes. "Typically they use a mouse the male kills, but I guess they had to make do."  
"Ah. Because the most expensive treats in Hogsmeade are 'making do'." I grumble. Rose shrugs. "And by the way, I know you're stealing the treats at night." I add. Rose sheepishly looks at her shoes.

"Sorry. It's just that Aliquam likes them almost as much as chocolate covered pear slices." Aliquam being her mouse.

"Wait a minute! Are you feeding MY special, way better then that store-made junk, homemade dark chocolate dipped pear slices I give out as birthday presents?!"

"He ate one once and now he's addicted! If I don't feed them to him, he revolts!" Rose says defensively. I shake my head.

"Grrr. Just stop stealing my fancy treats. My EXPENSIVE FANCY TREATS. Conversation over?"

"Agreed." Rose says. We shake. Suddenly, my attention is drawn to the pouch the owl left.

"Merlin! We forgot to open the pouch!" I bite my lip, feeling guilty. What if it's, like, a miniature of a dragon? And the poor thing is dead from too lack of oxygen? Dad has a cute little Hungarian Horntail. It's a feisty little thing. He named it Hagrid, which caused the big half-giant to sob on him for days in happiness, and, because he was affectionate about the cute little dragon, had a clear box, about the size of a large dresser, filled with the coolest toys and fake forests and mountains for it, which dad ALSO uses as a convenient nightstand. He also takes it out once a day on a tiny, fireproof leash where it can fly (somewhat) freely to its heart's content. I remember clearly, however, the day it set fire to mom's favorite armchair. She yelled for five minutes before dad extinguished the flame that had been struggling to grow, and said the dragon had to be outside during "free time".

"Well, open it now!" Rose orders. "And don't worry, it's only been, like five minutes."

"Fine, fine." I weigh the pouch in my hand. It's weightless. I reach for my favorite pen, poke it through the puckered hole on top, and wedge my finger in the crack the pen created. (Hey, what if the dragon was to bite me?). I pull it all the way open. Nothing. I pull at the bag again, and scream as suddenly a small firework bursts in the air. Then, out of the blue, the world dissolves and turns upside down.


	15. Wine: AKA Hot Ant Poison

**I am sorry to anyone who finds this chapter upsetting.**

**I hated writing it, but it's important plot development. All I ask is that you trust me, and don't hate me by the end of this.**

Spinning frantically, I can see the ground coming closer. I can see the block of a fancy neighborhood.

Going.

I can see the squares of cement that make up the pavement.

Going.

I can see the sparkles in the cement, and close my eyes as the ground rushes at me.

Gone.

But… I don't fall. Surprisingly enough. I am suspended in midair, and float to to ground. Once I hit the ground, I see Angus, with a smile, handing me a rose.

I stumble away from him and try not to throw up.

"Oh, god. Are you OK?" I feel cool air on my neck, and try not to shiver as he holds my hair.

"Peachy." I try not to spit. "I love being abducted without warning."

"Sorry… I did warn you not to freak out, though."

"OK." I don't want to ruin this night because of some stupid, angry words, so I just flash a grin. "Let's go inside."

The first thing I hear when Angus opens the door is orchestral music. Stepping inside the door, I thank my lucky stars I didn't come in jeans and a t-shirt.

Everyone is dressed in Victorian gowns, and the effect looks like we stepped into a time warp. Angus appears beside me, and I notice he's wearing an old fashioned suit.

"Theme restaurant." He explains, and bows. "Miss Potter, care to dance?" He takes my waist and spins me to the music, and we stay that way for three dances before he turns to the nearest waiter, who takes my arm and leads me and Angus to a lace-draped table. He sets down two china glasses and pours something purple-y into them, handing them to us. I don't want to be suspicious or anything, but the smell is awful, like cooked poison. And I know what cooked poison smells like- mom forgot about the ant poison she heated in the microwave because she thought it was beef soup. I tentatively sip some, and the taste is OK- strong, but OK. Then I gag and spit it back into the cup as I realize what it is.

"Angus, this is wine. Really strong wine, too. And we're underage. Don't drink too much." I sound like an overbearing mother, but Angus doesn't seem fazed or chastened.

"'Don't worry, babe. I gooo...t this." He winks, and I start. Glancing into his cup, I realize he's drained the thing. And it's a big cup- no Victorian malarky for these people's healthy appetites. Angus starts humming, and think back to the alcohol chart we were given in Health class. A sixteen year old can only take one glass of wine before getting mildly drunk. Angus has moved onto singing softly, and I figure he has a low alcohol tolerance. I call the waiter over, and ask for more water, and he nods. He glides off to get it- he keeps WINE in his pitcher, yet not water!- and I go to the bathroom to compose my anger at the waiter offering wine to two sixteen year olds. Noticing a basket full of peppermints, I unwrap one and pop it into my mouth, pocketing one for Angus. When I come back, Angus… oh, God. He's dancing with another girl, just like he did me, which isn't so bad, until he dips her… and kisses her on the lips. I walk over to our table, hoping it's the alcohol talking, and see… oh my God. Three dirty glasses. I walk over, and pull him away from the simpering black-haired beauty, doing my best not to slap her. I take Angus outside, yanking him away from the noise and the beauty, and round on him.

"Sweetiehart, what 'choo doin'? Angus drowsily asked.

"Angus, we're going home." I tell him, firmly.

"No… no… the night is young!" He sings, and closes his eyes. He jolts them open.

"And so are we…" He reaches for me, but I step away. He whines. He comes closer.

"No!" I protest. He sighs like a scolded puppy, but backs off.

"I... you… are not real." He tells me. "It's Sco… just sco..."

"What?" I ask, a tear finding it's way out of my eye.

"I am…" He repeats, vaguely, and lunges at me. "But now, let's dance. But you aren't real. You… not real. Life is ugly… and you are a liar." His gaze is now murderous. "LIAR!" he wails, and reaches back, slapping me full in the face. I reel back from pain and shock, and sprint as fast as I can to the curb. I run around corners, and alleys, and streets until I sprawl in the street, and drop my wand. And I sob. I sob and sob and sob. Until I hear a car backfire, and see Aen looking down at me, concerned.

"Are… are you OK?" He asks, and I tell him every ugly detail. About how he got drunk, and dissolved into nothing before me. And Aen listens, and insists I enter his car, and drives me to the castle where he walks me to bed. And there I fall asleep, listening to myself cry.

"We need to make him pay." Aen tells me, his voice low.

"Well, it won't work. Because jerks don't care about anything but themselves." I stare at my plate, which Aen is not heaping with sausages, eggs, and two muffins. I jerk away the plate, rolling my eyes.

"I can feed myself, you know." I stare at the mountain of food. I'm not hungry, but he doesn't need to know that.

"Really? Because all I see is a trim little figure under that beautiful head of yours." He says, his voice suddenly dripping in honey. I blush, but can't understand why he's flattering me and flirting.

And then I see why.

Because Angus Longbottom is staring at us with a hurt expression that I can't figure out on his face.

And two can play at Aen's game.

Because I smile, and trace the curve of Aen's face, and kiss him sweetly on the cheek.

This might be fun.

**I have returned from the dead! I'm finally over my writer's block, and ready to begin! This is my more fluffy story, the other is a lot more serious. Just saying, if you want more seriousness, go to my other. THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A SHOOT-THE-BREEZE fic. : )**


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